With Or Without You
by Rishi 'n Ryu
Summary: Hearing of the wedding, Jacob Black runs away to put the past behind him. He finds himself lost in the town, Arylse, dominated by werewolf packs. Then His Past comes looking for him and They discover how hard it is to leave Arylse...BellEd, JakeBell
1. Prologue: Choice Made

**Author's Note** PLEASE READ THIS!! This has important information!! Thank you.

"With or Without You" takes place right after "Eclipse" and switches POV; it switches from first person to second person. First person is only from Jacob's POV and no one else's. I wrote this in such a way so when we are not with Jacob, we can simply see the other characters without Jacob's commentary/opinions.

The town where Jacob finds himself in is based off an online RPG, Arylse, which is owned and run by the lovely admin, Emoosts whose permission had granted me the ability to write about Arylse. For those of you who are into RPGing and looking to play either humans or werewolves, I encourage you to join Arylse for it is an imaginative and thrilling place to RP. Arylse IS NOT inspired by the "Twilight" series. I'd say Arylse is an intermediate to advanced RPG. Please consider joining! I will put the link on my homepage, because it will not allow me to put the link here.

In this fanfic I am introducing my original characters as well as my buddies, Emoosts' and Lithian's characters. There is slight conflict between the Meyer Werewolves and the Arylse Werewolves. So this is how the werewolves in this fanfic are going to be:

-Werewolves are monstrous in size as described in the book, as large as a horse, but bulkier

-Werewolves are deathly allergic to silver (like chocolate to dogs), if a mass quantity remains in contact with their body too long, they will die

-Werewolves are forced to change or phase into wolves on the full moon

-There is telepathic communication within packs

-Werewolves heal at a rapid pace, faster than any average human

-Werewolves have enhanced senses and super strength

-Werewolves travel at great speeds, rivaling vampires

-Humans are turned into werewolves by a bite

-Recently changed werewolves and young werewolves lack control over phasing/changing and occasionally struggle with keeping their mentality (like vampires controlling their blood lust)

-Werewolves call their human form a "sheep skin" and their wolf form a "wolf skin", thus completing the saying "a wolf in a sheep's skin"

-Werewolves fur/eye coloring is dependent on the hair/eye color of the sheep skin (human form)

-Transforming from form to form can be a painful process

-Males are typically large and lanky in wolf/human form

-Werewolves have higher body temperatures than humans, contrast to the cold feeling vampires

-The Code, is a set of laws that werewolves are expected to follow

-Two types of werewolves: Old Blood, equivalents of The Volturi and like the Quileute Tribe ("pure" werewolves) and New Blood, recently changed humans-to-werewolves

Lastly, I want to let you know that these characters are beloved creations that Emoosts, Lithian and I have developed and created for our own pleasure. We are all aspiring authors outside of fanfiction and some of us have a desire to publish in the future. These characters we've created could be the basis of our future stories, PLEASE DO NOT STEAL OR COPY THEM! I would be eternally grateful, but stealing someone's creations is low and pure anguish to the victim of such a crime.

**Disclaimers**

I do not own "Eclipse"/"Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer or "With or Without You" by U2

**Credit**

Knox Redding, Legacy "Legs" Westlane, Vincent and Belladonna Sarkozi are my original characters and I will not permit anyone to use my characters for any purpose what so ever. I own them.

Fairly Kingston and Drury "Roo" Sarkozi are owned and the original characters of Emoosts. No one is permitted to use Emoosts' characters for any purpose. The world of Arylse is an original creation, created by Emoosts and copyrighted July 12, 2007.

Archer Curtis an original character owned and created by Lithian. No one is permitted to use Lithian's character for any purpose.

**Warnings**

I have given the story an M-rating, because of strong language, some violence and adult situations. (I'm not really into writing adult stuff !) This story does contain SPOILERS.

R & R! Enjoy!

Prologue

"With or Without You"

_See the stone set in your eyes_

_See the thorn twist in your side_

_I wait for you_

_Sleight of hand and twist of fate_

_On a bed of nails she makes me wait_

_And I without you_

_With or without you_

With or Without You preformed U2

How long had I been running?

I was tired of running. But I wasn't going to give up and turn back; I was just tired of running so long and so hard. I had to run though. I didn't want to hear the voices. I couldn't stand the voices, the closeness of the Quileute and the damn love I had for Bella. I ran away from Forks, because I didn't want to hear Them in my head. I ran until I couldn't hear Sam or Embry or Quil in my thoughts. I couldn't hear Sam telling Them not to follow me or Leah cursing me for bringing up what hurt her the most. I felt bad about that, I really did, but did it really matter _now_? Nothing, nothing mattered now.

I wanted to be devoid of emotion and incapable of feeling, but I'm positive I'm lying to myself.

I couldn't feel my legs anymore and I wondered for a mere moment, if my legs had become independent of my body. I couldn't look down; it was hard enough keeping my large head from plummeting to the unforgiving earth taking my neck and the rest of my dark scarlet body with me. 'I'm being so stupid,' I told myself as I continued to run, putting several feet behind me in just one mere bound. My legs extended and folded beneath my massive body, my fur and ears flapping in the wind with only my tail left for balance. I had completely embraced the wild side, the part of me that was truly wolf. I was a feral animal now, at least that's what I was telling myself.

I desperately wanted to forget. I wanted to forget everything. Who I am, who I was and what I will be. I didn't want to be Jacob Black anymore. I didn't want to be the Jacob Black who hated that bloodsucker—Edward Cullen, I didn't want to be the Jake that Bella refused to love and I certainly didn't want to be in love with her, anymore. But, I did. I hate myself for that. I really do. But the more I ran and the more I wanted to forget my love for Bella and her lovely face, I felt guilty. I can't forget…I can't…No, I felt myself snarl; a thundering sound rumbled from the depths of my hollow chest. I would forget. I'd forget all about him, her and me. I'd leave them behind and with that I'd leave Jacob Black.

Far behind.

It then occurred to me; I had no idea where I was. The surroundings were suddenly jumping out at me and I felt the asphalt disappear, the black road was gone and I was on a dirt trail. I could feel the tall grasses lick my body as I barreled through the fiber at full speed. My thick coat was probably full of burrs and random pollen now and as far as my whereabouts went, I couldn't tell if I was in Forks or not. I doubted I was still in Forks or anywhere near La Push. Forks wasn't exactly a huge town so it was easy enough for me to escape with my werewolf-gift of speed. Ha, that bloodsucker and his stone family thought they were fast. I smirked mentally. We rivaled them in speed; I knew that from watching the vampires work in the battle. They weren't the only speed demons. I hate them, but I won't lie to make werewolves sound better. We're faster. Much faster, but yeah, to humans any one of us would seem super fast.

I felt my vision blur, causing me to swerve ungracefully and my muscles began to cramp. My paws ached miserably, abused from running nonstop. I was surely testing my limits. I howled out of frustration. I had to keep going! I didn't want to stop. I couldn't. There was no way I was going to stop, even if I had to crawl away. I _would_ get away from Forks. As far as I could go. My nose twitched, as I tested the air, my whiskered maw quivering, hoping not to smell the beach or anything related to that damn town. I couldn't scent anything. Good, I guess…I couldn't smell Forks. I stumbled. I clambered about clumsily, breaking speed, trying to regain composure, but I could feel myself fading and I hated myself for tiring out. How could I stop now? I had to keeping going…had to keep going…

I could barely make out anything, any of my surroundings, not that I had been paying attention, but now nothing was visible. Shapes became shadows and soon everything just went black.


	2. Lost

**Author's Note**

I made some minor changes to the "first chapter", because I realized it's not really enough to be a full chapter, so I made it the prologue. I hope the change in POV is not exhausting or overly confusing, but I didn't like the restrictions of just seeing things through Jacob's eyes or not at all. Oh, if there are just italics then it's the werewolves communicating telepathically. Jacob and the other werewolves communicate "normally" (as in by body language, but I'd rather not have to write _that_ all out), but they cannot be understood by humans. Jacob cannot communicate telepathically with the other werewolves, because he is not in their pack. He must be accepted and come to trust them before any telepathic bonds are made.

Don't be upset if there is Cullen/Edward + Bella bashing. Don't forget! This is from Jacob's point of view. Don't worry though, things are liable to change. [mysterious smile

**Disclaimers**

I don't own "In The End" by Linkin Park.

Anyways…On with the story! _Please review_!

Chapter One

"Lost"

_It doesn't even matter_

_I had to fall_

_To lose it all_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

In The End preformed by Linkin Park

Arylse, somewhere in the United States…

Fletcher Creek was a broad territory. It was as pretty as a painting; with a quaint wooden bridge stretched over the frigid, slow moving water with a smattering of trees and mild, muddy slopes on either side of the creek. The sun shone softly, turning the tips of the lush foliage gold. Sunlight poured in-between the branches, rich with leaves and made the water glisten brightly like floating diamonds. The wood bridge was a romantic spot for lovers to walk hand in hand to watch the sun set or go star gazing. Water fowl and deer occasionally ventured down the moist creek banks to quench their thirst, to the delight of ravenous predators who often stalked in the safety of the shadows. Yes, almost everything about the creek was tranquil and radiant, but even the golden light or peaceful air could not make the body on the water, beautiful.

The body was nestled between some large stones, anchored in place where it floated on the water's surface rather morbidly. It attracted the interest of a spunky wolf who had been idling nearby. She had a healthy bounce in her step, her pink tongue dotted with gray-black, lolling to the side of her open mouth, her black lips and rows of teeth exposed in a non aggressive way. She trotted alongside the edge of the banks, on the high ground, observing the body below. Ceasing further movement, the female tilted her head upwards so her nose was pointed straight into the sky and sniffed the air. A very faint scent, but unmistakably wolf nonetheless.

She lowered her head, her gaze drifting downwards at the floating form of the deep rust colored wolf, on the water. Consumed by her thoughts on the latter, she carelessly forgot to watch her back, but did not fear much around Fletcher. Her black-brown ears immediately swiveled backwards at the snap of a twig and the sound of approaching foot falls. She whipped her body around in a quick maneuver, so her backside faced the creek and her eyes met that of a cream colored wolf with brilliant blue eyes.

The wolf's mouth was open and formed sort of a smile or better yet, a wolfish grin. Her dark eyes narrowed disapprovingly. There was nothing to be frightened of, he was her companion. Her ears plastered to her skull, her neck extending so her head disappeared into her fluffy neck. _Idiot_. One would think a predator would be less noisy. Her male friend let loose a high pitched whine and settled upon the ground with a medium sized thud, his forepaws spanking the earth as he went; lowering his head to accent his whine, his bright eyes dancing up at his lady friend with a sincere apology. _I'm sorry, Miz Roo_, he told her mentally.

Roo tossed her head and stepped forwards to meet her companion; she leaned down and nosed him affectionately, using her teeth to pull teasingly at his rounded ears. _That's alright, Legs. You can make up for it by getting me out of work tonight. Oh! And a free drink_, she quipped with a new found enthusiasm. Legacy snorted indignantly, rising to his feet and shaking Roo off. Standing level, eye to eye, one would see he was noticeably smaller as males go. Legacy was about the size of an average female which irritated him greatly as he was often mistaken for one. _You're going to get yourself fired Drury Sarkozi and when you do, don't come begging to me to goo-goo-eye your boss to get your position back_, he chided his friend with an amused edge to his voice.

Standing together, the contrast between the pair was especially noticeable; with her dark chocolate fur and equally dark eyes, Legacy was the complete opposite. He was a rich cream color with a gold-tan highlights and a touch of silver, to his pelt. His fur covered his slender frame like feathers on a bird, making him more feminine. His tail resembled a bottlebrush, to top it all off was his heart breaking baby blues that were striking and the first noticeable feature of Legacy's wolf skin. Roo on the other hand, was such a dark shade of brown, she appeared almost black in dim light, but with sunshine the lighter highlights among her hair were easily spotted.

Roo made a wheezing noise that easily distinguishable as a laugh. _OK, I hear you. Now, I want tequila. _He rolled his eyes.

She loped away from Legacy, her body turning to face the creek again and grunted for him to follow. He complied with her wishes, ambling to stand on the left of her shoulder, gazing down onto the bridge and the creek, below them. _Look there_, she looked back at the wolf, a mass of wet russet fur, which still remained where he was. _Do you think its dead? _

Legacy tilted his head in a quizzical manner, surprised at the sight. _Definitely werewolf_, he sniffed with a mock dignified air, _I can't tell what pack the guy's from. Not mine, that's for sure. _Looking skyward, Legacy noted the substantial loss of light and the sky was beginning to become a haze of orange and gold. _Yo, we better get going._

Legacy looked back to his left and did a comical double take, seeing that his shoulder side was bare. Roo was gone. His blue gaze traveled down the creek bank seeing her ease her large, brown body down the unstable slope. His ears wilted, his facial features drooped. He should've known. She never stopped to think. There was no planning or careful deduction when it came to Roo, she dived into situations without a second thought and often jumped to conclusions. She never wanted to know the truth or hear sides; she just wanted to make sure the perpetrators beaten and bleeding. The young woman was always getting herself into sticky situations, not that he wasn't either, but that was different. Trouble didn't prey upon him, he went looking for it.

_Roo! Get back here! We've got to go_, Legacy called out mentally. But of course, she didn't budge. Instead the energetic gal bounded down the slope and trotted to the water's edge, her paws already damp. Heaving an exasperated, all-knowing-sigh, Legacy put his slender frame in motion and leapt off the side, sliding through the mud which clung thickly to his pale fur. Roo was already high stepping through the creek, water droplets flying with every plop of a leg while Legacy was still cautiously lumbering down from the muddy banks. With ease, the female reached the scarlet wolf that Legacy had identified as one of Them, a werewolf. She scrutinized the overall characteristics of the fellow, but as he was donning his wolf skin, it was difficult as features from wolf to wolf did not vary much other than coloring and size. His fur was not exactly scarlet, but sort of a mixture of rusty brown and sienna. She did not recognize him, but decided whose pack he belonged to. She heard splashing and scented Legacy was nearby.

_I think he's from Kingston_. Legacy circled closer to Roo and the unconscious individual, lowering his head to peer closely at the stranger. _He's not dead, he's breathing_, he looked up to exchange looks with her. _Are you sure? Have you ever seen him before? _

Roo didn't pause and answered immediately, _Legs, the pack is huge. We've been here for awhile and even we haven't seen __**all**__ the members. _He sighed and looked up at the high ground. _Alright. Did you bring any clothes with you? We can't drag him to Fairly, not like this. _The female lifted and dropped her shoulders, in a shrug. She'd drag the gargantuan in her wolf skin all the way to the Kingston manor house if need be, but Legacy was probably right. _I did, I stashed them somewhere. I'll get them, wait here. _From where she stood, Roo broke into a lope, her fur flying backwards and her tail trailing behind her. Her dark body became dappled with shadows as she disappeared into the small sea of trees, leaving Legacy in the creek with the unconscious werewolf. Legacy's light colored eyes followed Roo's fleeting form, watching her until she was swallowed by the shadows.

If his eyes had monitored the wolf, he would have noticed the couple's new companion was not so unconscious anymore.

---

My head hurt. I could not feel my body. There was a throbbing, though, in my invisible temples, from beneath layers of skin, bone and fur. An odd sensation passed through my body as I opened my eyes. The light pierced my eyes, forcing me to close them again, tears welling slightly. I had not adjusted to the brightness and it stung like hell. Suddenly a wave of realization washed over me. My eyes burst open and my vision, at first was blurry, but cleared to reveal my dire circumstances. I was near a bridge. I was wet. Hell, I was soaked! My long fur was floating all around me and I felt rocks digging into my flesh from beneath me. I attempted to turn my head, my neck was stiff, but I saw I was wedged uncomfortably between two large stones. I looked, as best I could, behind me and my eyes met a steep slope where I must have run off of. I must have tumbled into creek afterwards. I didn't have to be a genius to know that. I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly a shadow intercepted my bath of light and I looked up to see a wolf, literally, in my face.

"Well well well," the wolf said, his voice was laced with humor. "If it isn't Sleeping Beauty?"

He spoke fast, but I was faster. The skin between my eyes, that stretched down the length of my nose wrinkled as my mouth opened like the snap of a steel trap, my black lips pulled back to reveal glistening, slightly yellowed fangs and my eyes darkened, narrowing as my ears flattened. The wolf that stood adjacent from me was surprised, but not repulsed by my actions. I continued to growl, my neck hair bristling as if I had electric shock. I was confused and also agitated. Why didn't he flinch? Why didn't he care? Why wasn't he afraid or at least reacting to me? It pissed me off. He just stood there, unblinking and with a stupid, wolfish grin plastered across his alabaster face. I made another low growl, mimicking the roar of my motorcycle when I revved the engine. He tilted his head much like a confused puppy dog, but I wasn't falling for some lame innocent act.

I rose to my feet rather clumsily, but could you blame me? I'd run over a thousand miles (at least it felt like it) the day before and took a nose dive off the side of a creek bank into a watery line of rough stones. I have every damn right to be a little shaky on my paws. I managed to stand, not completely drawn to my full height, but I still towered over the white wolf that looked like a delicate glass figurine compared to me. He just looked at me with those crazy blue eyes of his; I could practically see my reflection, even as light as they were. I was a huge, dripping wet, red-brown monster who was snarling up a storm and shaking like an autumn leaf on the wind. I felt myself slipping to the side and I caught myself just in time, but it wasn't enough. I collapsed again, sending water everywhere. I groaned. I sounded like someone who had just sat on a broken accordion. The guy wandered over to me and leaned down to my level much to my displeasure, which I allowed him to know as I lifted my black lips away from my teeth.

Crap…

"I guess I was wrong about you," he stared into my eyes for a moment then overlooked my crumpled body. "You're no Sleeping Beauty. You're just a klutz. What've you been up to? I've never ever seen anyone out cold in Fletcher Creek. You're a first, kid." He grinned again, which just sickened me.

"D-don't," I wheezed with an unmistakably sour edge to my voice. "Talk to me like I'm four. I'm seventeen goddamnit—"

I positioned a foreleg beneath my chest and tried to push upwards, but I felt my leg wobble and I began to sink back into the water.

The white wolf was at my side now and there wasn't much I could do about it. I had no energy and no will to sink my jaws into his neck, where I knew he was vulnerable, and toss him aside. I was weak and at the moment, I was too proud to admit that, especially to a stranger. Especially to a stranger who was pissing me off. I heard him chuckle and my ears immediately flattened to the sides of my russet head.

"I've got ten years on you, so you're still a whelp in my mind," he chuckled, his laughter wafting into my ears like his scent into my nose.

Werewolf. Oh good, it was nice to know I had not been approached by a wild looking dog or worse yet, laughed at by a normal wolf. That was a relief.

He continued to prattle on and I had nothing better to do than listen, "What is taking that woman so long? Perhaps a shot of tequila wouldn't have hurt…If she doesn't have clothes like she said she did, I'll tell her boss she wants to double her shifts…"

OK, I wasn't really listening, not to everything at least, but clothes did catch my attention, strangely enough. Clothes get ruined in the phasing process when you turn into a wolf; all that's left is a mound of shredded fabric that you have to struggle out of. I lifted my head, to get a better look at my talkative company. I was curious. What on earth was he talking about?

"Clothes?" I probably looked like an idiot with a clueless expression on my face. I was thankful that expressions were limited in this skin.

"Well if you'd remained unconscious, I wasn't planning on lugging you by the scruff of the neck with my teeth up that hill," he gestured with a casual nod to the muddy banks. "My partner is off getting clothes, so we can get a better grip on you—it's easier when you have hands--but now that you're awake, it shouldn't be a big problem. You're probably bruised and sore, you'll heal soon."

The last of his words were spoken with a confidant feel. He was right. Being a werewolf had its perks; healing faster and rapidly compared to any human and even a vampire. Speaking of which, Dr. Fang's handiwork had paid off, I hated to admit that, as my bones had been set right after having to be broken, _twice_. Although, I wasn't sure if my powers included healing exhaustion. I was just shaky from all the running and well, falling, but as I lay in the water, unmoving I felt better.

"Partner?" I said, changing the subject. "Are you like…uh..mates?"

He grinned devilishly.

"Well, that depends on whose asking. Do you have a name or would you prefer me to give you one?"

Damn. For some reason or another, he reminded me of the bloodsucker—Oh, excuse me, _Edward_. Maybe it was the way he kept grinning, which reminded me of how Edward would grin at…Bella, when she irritated with him. I forced those thoughts of my head. I scowled, making a low, negative noise in the back of my throat.

"I could say the same thing about you. Give me your name first," I demanded testily.

Big mistake. He was just more amused and mock bowed his head to me, which I especially hated. He was a cocky bastard.

"Alright, O Suspicious Scarlet One," he said sweetly, as sickeningly sweet as the scent of the vampires. "I'm called Westlane. Legacy Westlane."

I stared at him, my black eyes burning into his blue ones. Legacy? Legacy Westlane? What kind of name was that? I'd never met any werewolves outside of Forks, let alone outside the Quileute and I was surprised at the difference I found here. Legacy, no one in the Quileute had such a name like his. I repeated the name again in my head.

I didn't stop myself from blurting out, "What kind of name is Legacy?"

There was that damn grin of his.

Legacy chuckled and said, "My parents were a little over zealous when they named their first born son. Well, it's either that or they were really drunk."

I nodded dumbly. A couple seconds of complete silence passed when Legacy's eyes suddenly became more aware to me and I realized I had not replied.

"I'm Jacob," I replied quickly, less testy than before. "Jacob Black."

"So Mr. Black," he said with a wolfish grin. "You never answered my question. What are you doing in Fletcher Creek? You're not one of the Ekmel are you?"

I gaped at him with wide eyes. I was completely and utterly confused. What was it with these weird names? I stared at him as if he was speaking a different language. Ekmel? What the hell did that mean? My blood was beginning to boil and I twitched, not from anger, but because my temperature was rising. Werewolves were always warm, very warm. Vampires are cold, nice cold, the very opposite of Us. Legacy sized up my expression and seemed pleased, he probably knew I was beginning to go back to "normal" again; as normal as a werewolf could be.

"What?" I murmured slowly. "Is Ekmel? What are you talking about?"

He seemed frustrated and as confused as I was, "What am I talking about? The Ekmel Pack. Do you belong to it?"

I shook my head, utterly confused and shocked. The Ekmel pack? Was that the pack here? Millions of questions began to flood my brain. Was that the only pack here? How many packs were there? How did the werewolves here live? How many of us were there? Where was I? What was this place called? I think my eyes were really beginning to bug out of my head, because Legacy began to talk again.

"I assume this means your not," he laughed. "I didn't think so. There are three packs here: Ekmel, Kingston and Joven. Which one do you belong to? Roo decided you were part of the Kingston pack, so speak now or face Fairly."

I began to growl again, "I'm not part of any pack—"

He made a low noise sort of a hybrid between a short howl and a grunt which silenced, just because he was louder than me. Legacy looked off into space, probably looking for his girl-friend or whoever she was. I began to think, trying to sort through all that he'd said. All these names! There were too many! How the hell was I supposed to absorb all this information when it was coming at me faster than a baseball being pitched? He continued to look off in the distance, his ears swiveling, listening to something. I could hear it too, from where I lay. I heard something running towards us. Judging from the smile creeping upon his sunny features, I was positive it was his friend.

"Where am I? What is this place?" I tried again, not masking my anxiousness.

I waited for him to reply rather impatiently.

"This town is called Arylse."

Arylse. I tried to pronounce it in my mind, but failed several times. 'Ar-yuh-lee-suh? I tried playing around with the name, but gave up after only a few more tries. I gazed back at my surroundings and sought no answers from the unchanging scenery of the creek, apparently called Fletcher, as I'd remembered Legacy referring to it as such. I began to think about what I'd gotten myself into. I succeeded in leaving Forks. I just had no idea how far I was from home, but I guess I was pretty far, because I'd never heard or seen a town called Arylse on any map before. Was I even in Washington State? Part of me felt worried and another part of me felt relieved. I felt relief mostly; I had not heard a single thought that wasn't my own. There were no voices of Sam or Leah. I was relieved. And yet, after I'd said my name, everything was trying to inch its way back into me again; something inside me was trying to rearrange what I had decided for myself, something was trying to make me Jacob Black again. I can't really explain what it is.

I looked at Legacy again; aside being annoying as hell, he wasn't so bad. I could put up with him more than I could with Bella's bloodsucker, because:

A) We were not competing for the same girl

B) He didn't have a putrid stench

C) He couldn't read my thoughts

And most importantly,

D) Legacy wasn't a vampire

I hoped as long as I was in Arylse, however long it may be nobody would be able to invade the privacy of my mind. I was immensely pleased with being able to think freely without the commentary of the entire Quileute pack or worse yet, Edward. I remembered when I had been lucky enough to warm Bella up, despite the cramped quarters of the tent and her precious vampire sitting nearby, listening to my thoughts. He told him sharply to keep my "fantasies" to myself. What kind of sick animal did he assume I was? It was damn embarrassing to have intimate thoughts and some bastard hear them too. Besides, I wasn't a pervert or anything. I enjoyed the close moments I shared with Bella, which were numbered thanks to Edward. Good thing, I didn't have to worry now.

"Jacob," Legacy's voice caught me off guard.

I blinked, "What?"

I guess I had really spaced out, because Legacy was standing on shore. Standing beside him was a female wolf who I could only assume was _her_. She was just about the same size as Legacy, but was a dark brown color like the color of rich soil. Her eyes were equally as dark. Her mouth was stuffed with clothes and some were thrown over her broad back. Her tail was swaying pleasantly, her ears stood tall on the top of her head, her eyes dancing over me. I immediately rose to my feet and I shook; my ears, tail and skin flapped vigorously while water expelled itself from my dense fur. Placing my feet carefully, I gingerly avoided stones and stepped onto shore to meet them.

"Jacob," he said again, gesturing to the brown female. "I'd like you to meet my partner in crime, Drury Sarkozi." He said this with a smile.

Then he gestured to me and said, "Roo, Jacob Black."

She let the clothes drop from her jaws, where they fluttered to the ground rather gracefully and she took a step towards me. I towered over both of them; I was taller as well as being long and lanky. I stood where I was, still dripping wet and pretty much soggy through and though. She wrinkled her nose.

"You smell bad," she said, then suddenly smiled. "Nice to meet ya."

"Thanks," My tone of voice was sardonic.

Drury's smile just brightened, "You're welcome."

I watched as she turned to face Legacy to inquire the next course of action. She was a little weird, but not no where as annoying as Leah. Well, weren't all girls a little weird? A little peculiar? Girls were definitely different. But, different could be good, or bad.

"So, Legs," Drury said, her muddy paws dirtying once clean fabric of the clothes beneath her feet. "I'm going to shed this skin and slip into my other one."

She turned to me, her eyes darting from Legacy to me. "If you guys so much as one peek, I'll rip off your chance of ever having kids."

Though it was hard to tell with his light colored fur, I could see Legacy had paled slightly, but smiled sheepishly in agreement. Drury giggled and tugged at one of his ears, "Just kidding, Legs-dear."

My ears flattened and I mumbled, "Don't flatter yourself." Yeah not exactly a smart thing to say, but I had't promised anyone in Arylse I'd be good.

Drury didn't seem to hear me. She just scooped up her clothes and loped bouncily off the bridge on our side of the creek, to change with some privacy. She left a mound of clothes behind, apparently for Legacy. He watched her leave, before examining the clothes she had brought. I observed him closely. They were probably mates; I could see it in his eyes. I mean, he was absolutely tolerant of her, totally used to her. But it was the fact he worried about her, which made me positive they were imprinted, meant to be together. I envied them slightly. I shook again, smelling my scent in the air. Ugh, maybe I really didn't smell so great.

"What am I suppose to do? Go naked?" I asked rather irritably.

My exhaustion was beginning to kick in; I wanted nothing more than to just crash, but I could only assume these two were going to take me somewhere. You'd think I'd put up a fight or be suspicious, but I wasn't. I mean what's the worse that could happen? Get killed? Hey, that's all the better. Then nothing would really matter, at least for me, that is. The Quileute, especially Billy and Sam, wouldn't really appreciate my death. Bella perhaps would be upset. No wait, would she really care? I did promise I'd be good. I snorted. I wasn't emo and suicidal. I just wasn't worried about death, that's all.

Legacy chuckled, as he pulled a white dress shirt out of the clothes pile to add to a small collection of things by his side.

"Well, if that's the way you want to go, I won't stop you." his voice partially muffled as he grabbed a pair of jeans next.

Unfortunately, I could still hear the humor that laced his words.

I grumbled. "_I'm_ not going to run around without clothes on."

He chuckled, "You're in luck then. There's an extra pair of jeans. I hope they'll fit, you're a whole lot taller than the both of us."

Yeah, I bet I was. I was over six feet tall and I doubted Drury or Legacy cleared more than 5'8 at the most. I was being generous with my guess too. I examined the pair of jeans that Legacy had left on the ground for me. They looked like they'd fit, which surprised me as these pants could not possibly be his. They were meant for someone tall like me. I began to question the origin of the jeans. My imagination was surprisingly vivid for someone so drained of energy; I pictured them ripping it off a freshly slain corpse. Legacy had said partners in _crime_.

"Whose pants are these? They're not yours are they?" I asked.

I sniffed the jeans, drawing a laugh of out Legacy. They smelt like the woods, I could smell pine needles and sap. They didn't smell like they'd be hauled out of a dumpster or a body for that matter. That was a relief.

"They belong to a friend of mine. I stole them as a joke, but he has no sense of humor," he assured me. "They're clean. Pulled them from the dryer so don't worry, they're germ free. I swear on the silver."

I was about to comment about his last phrase, when I noticed Legacy had begun to phase. I looked away and closed my eyes. I began to concentrate. Phasing wasn't too hard, it was sort of like learning to play a sport or ride a bike. I don't know how to describe it. It's an odd sensation, kind of painful when you weren't used to it. Some change easily and others cannot. I'd become adept at phasing and I was pretty fast. I felt my bones begin to shrink, my fur receding and my physical features rearranging so I could be human again. I growled slightly, phasing sure wasn't a pleasurable process.

When I reopened my eyes and looked down, I saw the jeans clutched in my hands. My bare chest rose and fell, heaving a small sigh. Human again. I quickly stood up and pulled the jeans over my legs with haste. I wasn't exactly thrilled about the possibility of being seen naked, but Legacy was right. When you live in close proximity of one another, especially in a pack, you got over being sensitive about being naked in front of others. It was sort of like changing for P.E. in the locker room, except it seemed like you were always in the locker room. My Quileute brothers and I often ran around in nothing but jean bottoms to save shredding clothes when we were forced to change skins unexpectedly. It was a lifestyle, a weird one, but a lifestyle nonetheless.

"Ready?" Legacy called out to me.

I looked over at him. He was buttoning up the front of his white dress shirt. He was wearing black pants, which I couldn't distinguish as jeans. I hadn't noticed before, but he had three piercings on his left ear. Two rings on his lobe and one on the top ridge of his ear. He was also wearing a thick chain around his neck and an expensive wrist watch. Strangely, everything appeared to be made from silver.

Legacy was certainly an interesting character, that's for sure. He looked over at me, as he finished all but the last four buttons, leaving a good portion of his neck exposed. His skin was a light olive, almost as pale as his fur had been. He smiled at me, his features brightening as quickly as the light was leaving from the sky. It was nearly night fall.

"Ready?" he asked me again.

"Sure," I answered. "Ready."

"Ready?" he yelled past me, at Drury.

I didn't look back at her after her nonsensical threat. I was one of those gutsy guys who came off annoying, because I was always testing people's patience. It was not a wise thing to do, but I did it anyway. My only excuse was it's a guy thing. I didn't have to look back anyway; she slid into view right beside me. I glanced at her. The top of her head wasn't even close to my shoulder. She was the same height as Legacy, though he was about two inches taller, but it didn't add up to much. Her hair was the color of her fur and her eyes were unchanged, just like Legacy's. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans which hung loosely on her small frame. She strode over to a grinning Legacy.

"Ready, Legs," she grinned.

Legacy's grins must be contagious or something.

"Well then," he said to the both of us. "Let's make tracks."

---

The walk to the Kingston mansion was not as bad as I had imagined it to be. We tromped through the woods, which I learned from Legacy was part of the Kingston estate; turns out part of Fletcher Creek runs through the woods, which separates the Ekmel territory from the Kingston's. I clambered along easily, my long strides keeping in time without much effort, with Drury and Legacy's. I could hear their incoherent babbling, but I didn't pay much attention to what they were saying. It was just noise in the background. I observed the change in scenery, trying to add more to the blank picture of Arylse, in my mind. There wasn't much. I wasn't going to memorize anything I'd seen, not yet at least. My mind was wandering more than my feet, as I blindly followed the pair through the rest of the woods to the mansion that was easily spotted in the distance.

I wondered about this Kingston pack. I hadn't really told them I wasn't from Arylse, well I had tried to Legacy I wasn't part of any the packs he mentioned, but he didn't hear me. Hopefully there wouldn't be a violent reaction when they'd all discover I was an outsider, a stranger to these parts, wherever I was. 'However,' I thought to myself, 'If all the wolves are as small as these two, maybe there's a chance I could come out on top in a skirmish.' Yeah, that was hope for you, making you think stupid things could come out alright in the end. I should really become a pessimist; maybe it would do me some good. Or rather, maybe it would have done me some good in the past, the more recent past, to be specific.

'Aw shit. There I go again. Thinking again Forks!' I was furious with myself. I ran away to forget and now all I'm doing is thinking about what I left behind, who I left behind. And practically on the verge of plotting my death in a place I'd never heard of. The wind was picking up, playing with my long hair and washing over my hot skin. It did nothing to me. The cold didn't bother me anymore; my skin was always warm, very warm for a mammal and definitely warmer than any human's. I guess you could say I was "hot blooded", minus the belligerent part. OK, maybe I was a belligerent. After all, there were several times when I wanted nothing more than to pin Edward on his back and sink my teeth into his icy skin. I doubt we would have gotten far though. That would have just set off a chain reaction amongst the Cullens, their allies and the Quileute. Did we have any allies? I wondered about that. I'd never heard anyone talk about werewolves outside of our clan or bring someone new in. Everyone was family; everyone was part of the tribe. Life on the reservation wasn't exactly private and the stupid telepathic connection made it worse.

I was still lost in my thoughts when we reached the manor house. I stood behind them, for safe measure as Legacy instructed me, but I didn't think of safety much. I did what he told me, holding a smidgeon of respect for the guy. He was alright. I looked at Drury. She was humming and sort of dancing on her tip toes, she didn't look nervous though. I wasn't sure about her yet. She sort of bugged me. She was just a little weird for me. She was spontaneous, but that just seemed to make Legacy adore her even more. They had laughed and teased each other the whole way through the Kingston woods. It was no wonder we didn't see any animals on the walk, they were probably clutching their ears because of those two. They were so damn loud. It made me wonder if they were sober.

"Don't forget," Drury suddenly said, catching my attention and Legacy's. "I want _tequila_. We're going to the club right after we dropped the Puppy off."

I made a feral noise that launched itself from the back of my throat. I hated being called a puppy, there were only so many names you could call each other's Kind, but some really just bugged me. Puppy, was number one. Drury seemed to find this amusing, which made me even more irritated. Good ol' Legacy intervened.

"He's seventeen," he said.

But, I made the mistake of thinking he would intervene. He just made things worse.

"I like kid better than pup, don't you?" Legacy grinned.

She laughed, "That'll do, babe. But don't forget! Tequila. Club. After this."

Legacy nodded with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes. Unbelievable. Bored of them, I let my eyes travel over the enormous doorway of the mansion. The mansion was old, but it wasn't ancient looking. It definitely had a contemporary, older design compared to some of the new celebrity houses that were constructed these days. This one was grand and had a romantic, old feeling to it. I liked how it wasn't over done, it gave you the impression the owner was modest and didn't want to show off how much wealth they had. I snorted, unlike some wealthy vampires I knew. Legacy and Drury stood close to the front door, on the top of the stone steps, while I strayed behind. I was in the middle, staring at two stone wolves that were on either side of the stairway. 'Not really subtle,' I murmured mentally.

The door suddenly swung open with a slam. I flinched, whipping around. Drury didn't look startled, but Legacy had jumped a little. My eyes nearly bugged out at my head. There was a shapely woman with a rather questionable look on her face, standing in the doorway wearing nothing, but a silk robe which had slipped off one of her shoulders, so the skin was exposed and her breasts partially visible. Her wavy, black hair was pulled back in a sloppy fashion with a few rogue strands hanging down by her cheeks and one hand was placed on her hip, the other pressed into the doorway. I averted my eyes to the stone steps, immediately, shocked to have witnessed such a sight. I stole a quick glance at Roo and Legacy. Legacy had a strained smile on his face while Drury looked serious, hell she almost looked…normal. What was up with that?

"What the fuck _you_ want?" she demanded, her voice thick with agitation.

It didn't appear she saw me, yet. But Legacy took care of that almost immediately. He seemed to be a little edgy around her, for good reason. Her physical state scared the bejesus out of me. Well, Drury was a woman, so she didn't really have a reason to be jumpy. She was expressionless and just remained where she was, unmoving like the pair of statues I'd been staring at.

"H-hello Fairly," Legacy smiled nervously. "I picked up something for you in the woods."

Fairly didn't look the least bit excited. She rotated her hips, completely oblivious to the fact her robe was slipping off her right shoulder and from her chest to her stomach, there was a thin line of skin visible between the sides of silky material. It was hard to tell what Legacy was thinking or feeling, because on hand he appeared absolutely terrified of this Fairly person, but on the other hand it seemed like he knew her. Well, at least that they weren't strangers to one another. Her eyes didn't move from Legacy, she had not even acknowledged Drury's presence and simply channeled all her attention on him. Legacy did not seem to enjoy the limelight, but tolerated it nonetheless.

"Well," she said, her voice was a little less sharp than before. "It better be dead and dinner. Come on."

She stepped backwards and threw her out outwards, gesturing for us to follow. She didn't wait for us to go in; instead she just walked off, expecting us to follow. Legacy jerked his head and Drury stepped into the house and he beckoned for me to do the same. I bounded up the last of the steps and into the mansion. Fairly was not there and she had left us in a magnificent room. I felt intimidated by the splendor of just the entrance to the house, standing in nothing, but jeans and bare feet. The floor was cool, all white marble and there were staircases that led to the upper stories, which I assumed where at least two. Another thing that got me was the number of wolves lulling about the rooms. Some were in wolf form and others were humans. A couple of wolves lifted their heads from their light slumber, as Legacy shut the front door, but paid little attention to us thereafter. Nobody cared. Good, I didn't either.

Legacy walked to my side and I bent down to his ear and said quietly, "What kind of woman walks around half naked?"

He chuckled lightly, it was a forced laugh.

"Fairly Kingston," he whispered back. "C'mon Roo, I bet you know where she is."

Drury snorted, "Yeah. One guess."

Leading the way, Drury slid past us and headed down the main corridor. I danced around wolves underfoot or tall pack members who crowded the hallways. I was a tad surprised at how relaxed the atmosphere was for what seemed like a huge party. I mean if everyone didn't smell the same, I would have thought we crashed some sort of wild party. There were people everywhere, all werewolves. They were draped over rugs, on couches, the floor and idling in their rooms. The mansion, obviously, was their home, their den, but it just seemed so weird for them to be well…not acting proper in such a fancy place. I'd never been in a place like this except for the Cullen's house, which was more like a hovel compared to the Kingston mansion.

We ended up in a large, open room that was rather vacated except for the half naked Fairly and a tall, dark haired man who stood nearby. The kitchen? What were we doing here? Was this a meeting hall or something? The kitchen looked like it belonged in some fancy restaurant with the mass equipment and sizable stoves and ovens. Well, this place had to accommodate numerous mouths. Amidst the kitchen supplies was Fairly, sitting on the counter with her legs spread carelessly and spooning chocolate icing into her mouth. Thank God she was wearing underwear. Legacy strode up to the man, smiling. Drury waved enthusiastically. I could only guess this was a friend of theirs.

"Well if it isn't Vincent Tannen?"

Vincent Tannen responded with a solemn nod and no change in expression. He was tall, about as tall as I was and like Fairly and Drury, he had dark hair and eyes. His hair was black and his eyes were black. He had high cheekbones that melted into the rest of his face and an overall intense look. Vincent leaned against the counter adjacent to Fairly, his arms crossed over his chest and a grave look on his face. He was absolutely quiet, making no sounds, just standing there as if he'd been etched in stone. Legacy did not seem to mind at all, grinning cheerfully at him with Drury bouncing about behind him. Fairly ignored them all, still not acknowledging me and happily indulged in the chocolate sugary substance. But she did not remain as silent as her companion.

"So Legacy," she said, licking her fingers. "What did you find in the woods for me? Elk? Rabbit? Duck?"

I could see without much difficulty, Legacy smile rather sheepishly and Drury suppress her laughter making Vincent raise a brow with vague interest. Oh, great. Wouldn't she be thrilled with what Legacy _did _find in the woods? She expected meat and all she'd get was a runaway from Forks, Washington. I didn't say anything, letting Legacy do all the talking. I felt my lids sinking over my dark eyes and my shoulders slump forwards, my hands sweating in my pant pockets, where I have shoved them absentmindedly. Black strands of hair were falling forwards, slipping past my face, making my copper skin itch slightly. I ached all over; I could feel it in my bones. I was too tired and I wanted to avoid talking as much as possible. Maybe there was such a thing as sleeping with your eyes open.

My gaze flickered casually over at Legacy, Drury and Mr. Tall n' Quiet. Vincent appeared no less amused by Legacy's sheepish grin than Fairly who continued to lick her fingers clean of chocolate, as loudly as possible. Drury was stoic; her smile and frantic movement had ceased after greeting Vincent and then she looked as if she'd been drained of good humor. She was perfectly serious (which was amazing since she had been giggling non stop the entire walk) and dry, perhaps dryer than the Actacama desert. If I hadn't been so goddamn tired, Drury's fish-out-water behavior might have made me curious.

"Well," Legacy began cautiously. "Not exactly."

He stepped backwards and placed his hand firmly on my broad back, pushing me forwardly slightly before Fairly, draped over her counter top throne. He cleared his throat discreetly and I could practically see him wilting away. I looked up to meet her gaze. She stopped licking her fingers momentarily. Setting down the cardboard cylinder of icing, she dropped to her floor and strode towards us. Legacy twitched, I could feel him tensing up. Vincent watched and I could see Drury stiffen beside him. She was defensive of Legacy, I could see that plainly whereas they seemed to be blind to their bond. Fairly stopped within a few paces of us, folding over her chest and her black brow furrowed deeply. She looked at Legacy first and then me, her eyes were somewhat frigid.

"Do explain, Legacy," she said flatly. "What 'not exactly' means. And make it quick. I'm really really hungry."

Legacy put his hands up in defense, his sunny though sheepish smile still in tact. I eyed him sleepily. I was beginning to sway a little and I jerked awake, trying to keep myself from toppling over.

"Come come now, Miss Kingston! There's no need to get all edgy about everything--"

"I'll give you something to be goddamn edgy about if you don't start talking quickly AND give me a steak. I'm hungry!"

"Alright alright, let's just cut to the crap. Miss Fairly Kingston, please allow me to introduce..."

Legacy put his hand, as best he could, on the upper portion of my arm and gestured to my chest with a wide smile. I could practically make out the corner of his lips twitching as he spoke. Fairly's eyes immediately swiveled towards me.

"Allow me to introduce, Jacob Black," Legacy finished quickly. "Roo and I discovered him in Fletcher Creek. We believe he might be one of yours."

Besides Bella's fast triggered reaction to my fake suicide attempt, I'd never seen a woman answer so quickly to a statement before. Fairly raised her foot as quick as lightning and slammed it powerfully onto the tile floor with a resonating slap. I flinched seeing the fabric sliding farther off her right shoulder and her chest nearly visible on one side. Did she even _notice_?! Did she have no sense of modesty what so ever? Who exactly was this Fairly Kingston? I really _didn't_ want to know. In fact, of all the things I knew at this particular moment, I was pretty positive about NOT wanting to get to know Fairly Kingston. Not because she was a big bad wolf, (not literally, I towered over her), but because she scared the shit out of me.

"_Bullshit_!" she roared. "I've never seen that damn man in my life!"

My ears and temples were throbbing wildly and I felt my head swimming in the tense air. Drury made a low noise seeing Legacy cower back from the one step advance from Fairly. Eyes blazing, she ripped her seething glare away from Legacy and let her eyes burned into me. Damn. It looked like I would have to start talking. And if I had any wish to sleep tonight...I'd better start talking quickly.


	3. Decisions

**Author's Note**

I am trying to cut down on how much I blab, because I've probably blabbed enough for the entire story in the prologue's A/N. I'll keep this short! I want to thank Lithian and Emoosts (I love you guys!) for reviewing. I'm so glad you like the story. (blows kisses)

PLEASE REVIEW!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

**Disclaimers**

I do not own "The Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks

Chapter Two

"Decisions"

_And the thunder rolls_

_And the lightning strikes_

_Another love grows cold_

_On a sleepless night_

_As the storm blows on_

_Out of control_

_Deep in her heart_

_The thunder rolls_

The Thunder Rolls preformed by Garth Brooks

It was as quiet as death in the kitchen. Everyone was waiting for me to speak. I took a minute to look over their expecting faces and then let my shoulders shrug. I shifted weight onto another foot; my hands still jammed into my pockets and my hair falling over my face. My long hair was beyond annoying and I desperately wanted to brush my bangs away, but that required movement and I had no energy to spare. My skin prickled; I shivered, but not from the numerous pairs of eyes boring into me, but from the cold that was gnawing through my skin. I felt numbness shoot up through the pads of my feet, clawing savagely through my body. The creek water was getting to me; my immune system was probably out of whack from running like a maniac before I fell into Arylse, quite literally.

Fairly looked me with her dark, flashing eyes and then glared at Legacy who stood next to me, inching rather comically away from her. Drury and Vincent waited solemnly; their features were grave if not a little dry. They resembled a pair of gargoyles: silent and emotionless. I stifled a yawn; my face stretching as I pulled a rather unpleasant array of faces as if I was hurtling through space. More silence. I looked at them once more. A few seconds went by. They were really waiting for me. Fairly growled. Yeah, they were really waiting for me. I just couldn't help myself, you know, I just test people's limits. I can't help it. I just like to see how far I can go until someone snaps.

Bad habit.

"Well uh," I began. "I'm not from around here…I'm from La Push, twelve miles from Forks, Washington. I live on a reservation there with my pack."

Fairly folded her arms—thankfully over her chest—and sauntered towards me, then stopped; her eyes narrowed dangerously. I heard Legacy let loose a ragged sigh, his chest noticeably rising and falling. Drury let a giggle slip through her lips, a crack in her freakishly placid mask while Vincent remained a lifeless stone. Fairly flipped her long mane of black hair over her bare bronze shoulder and started in on me again, making me feel like prey. I think my exhaustion was forcing me to think in a level-headed fashion, because any other time I would've totally fought back. But this was a game I was safer losing today.

"Well, I _knew_ you weren't from Arylse, that was far too easy Captain Obvious," she said flatly; her tone not quite the bellow it had been before. "Or part of my pack. I could care less if you were a Mars Martian. What damn pack are you from?"

As calmly as I could—which was rather easy being as tired as I was—I replied, "The Quileute."

Fairly looked uncaring, but less angry; she yawned in my face and turned on her bare heels, returning to her abandoned counter and chocolate icing. I felt my irritation ripple in slow waves, it bounced off my exhaustion that clogged my system and coherent thoughts, but managed to make my already hot-blood simmer a little. Who was she to throw a huge hissy fit over Legacy's mistake and then dismiss it if it was nothing at all? Fairly Kingston, that's who, I could tell right away, we were definitely not going to get along. Glancing at Vincent, I began to wonder how the rest of the pack could tolerate her. How could they put up with a woman who insisted on running around indecently and with a temper like that? How could Legacy put up with Drury's over zealous energy? Was everyone in Arylse so patient and weird?

Apparently so.

Well then…Could they put up with me? I mean, if I stayed. The hell was I saying?! What was I doing here?

I suddenly snapped out of my sleepy drawl and realized everyone was talking again.

"So where's my steak?" Fairly asked, shoveling chocolate icing into her mouth.

Legacy chuckled nervously.

"My bad. I'm afraid we came empty handed, Miss Kingston," he offered a shaky grin. "All we brought was Jacob."

"You owe me a steak. I want it medium rare, tender and not too much gristle."

Legacy mock-saluted her and edged closer to Drury who had magically appeared at his side; I hadn't noticed she'd moved. The pair began to look antsy as if they were late for something, which made me suspicious. What would become of me? Where the hell was I going to sleep? The woods? What was I going to do? I felt irritation overpower my tired body.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" I growled at Legacy whose head whipped in my direction, his bright eyes blinking. "I'm a little damn tired of being told what to do! I may be a stranger in these parts, but I'm not going to be taken advantage of!

"What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm fucking tired and shit—I'm not sleeping out in the forest. You can't just drag me here and dump me!"

Legacy gave me that stupid grin of his, which certainly did not aid my raging nerves that were probably as scorching as a blazing inferno, because of my abnormal body temperature. Werewolves were always warmer than humans; I suppose the best way to describe an appropriate werewolf temperature is that…Well, it's sort of like having a fever twenty-four-seven. Sucks, but hey! We're always warm and it's a helluva lot better than being some unfeeling block of ice, if you catch my drift.

Legacy strode towards me and extended a hand, placing it firmly on my shoulder which I just scowled at. If I weren't so tired, I might have phased—despite the agonizing pain—and snapped his hand off right then and there. Suddenly Drury appeared on his flank and her blazing gaze silenced me. She was damn protective of him. I kept my mouth shut and just listened to him.

"Roo n' I've got to split, but you're in good hands," he assured me, but I sincerely doubted all the garbage that spewed from his goddamn trap. "Fairly's really not as bad as she seems and she'll be even better tomorrow, because I'll get her Filet Mignon. Isn't that right, Miss Kingston? The boy—(I scowled again)—can stay if I supply you with food?"

I was beside myself. My room and board was worth my weight in meat? Never in my life had I been worth hamburger meat, oh sure 'Filet Mignon' would make a different to me. It's all beef to me.

Fairly just sat where she was and continued to devour the contents of the flimsy cardboard container.

"Whatever," she replied, her mouth full of saturated fat, sugar and caffeine. "As long as you come through, we're square. Now beat it, I want my meat at first light."

Legacy docked his head, in a quick nod and spun on his heel with Drury on his flank. He gave me a last grin.

"Be good," he winked at me.

I scowled for a third time.

My voice was gruff, "No promises."

I was sick of being 'good.'

Legacy gave me one last reassuring smile then turned for Drury. The two exited, bidding a quick farewell to Vincent who nodded in acknowledgement, but I thought I caught a glimpse of a twitch to his mouth. Fairly said nothing and just hopped down from the counter, her silken robe riding up her bare thighs and I averted my gaze elsewhere as she too, excused herself.

I looked at Vincent. Oh goody, it's Frankenstein. Whoopee. Well, I don't think Mr. Frankenstein was any happier than I was about being stuck together. I examined Vincent more closely now that he was the only living object amidst the kitchen ware. Besides being tall and dark haired, he had piercing, soulful eyes that reeked of sorrow and sort of a solemn air about him. He made a body feel unpleasant; he wasn't splendid, lively company and rather gloomy. I was about as comfortable being around an undertaker as I was about being around Vincent.

"I'll show you to your quarters," he said suddenly, making me fidget at his deep voice.

He blinked at me, through his dark bangs.

"Are you OK?" he asked half heartedly.

"Uh, sure," I replied, stifling another yawn.

He looked at me for a little while and then shuffled away without looking back. I could only assume I was supposed to follow, so I did. We left the kitchen and pushed our way through a sea of werewolves and others who retained human shape. I was astounded at the sheer size of the mansion and how many members it could afford to support. I stepped over a few wolves that lay stretched out on their sides, a few snapped at me. It was like a freaking chain reaction. I felt like I had just triggered one steel trap which made the rest start snapping at my vulnerable, bare feet. As I dodged them, Vincent stepped calmly over them without as much as a mumble. He led me through narrow corridors lined with expensive furnishings and ancient, oil portraits of old fogies and crones—probably Kingston relations or something—and finally up a grand winding stair case. I trudged after him, hands still in my pockets and I kept my head down, watching my feet climb the stairs.

Slightly out of breath, he waited for me to catch up, standing patiently at the top of the stairs. His knuckles rapped on the banister and I stifled the urge to snap at him in a "mistake", the next time I felt the need to yawn. The minute I stepped on the last top stair, he walked off without looking back. I hop-skipped after him, trying to not fall behind; I breathed a sigh of relief, when he stopped at a door.

Now the mansion seemed like a grand hotel. We stood at the end of a long hallway lined with doors, some open and others closed. The atmosphere was noisy, filled with various noises—some wolf and some human—but I just stared at the door before me. Vincent leaned into the wall and gestured towards the door.

"You'll sleep here," he said in a low drawl.

I just shrugged my shoulders, "Sure."

He pushed himself off the wall and opened the door easily. With the door out of the way, it revealed the chaos behind it. There were two boys who looked exactly alike, down to the last finger nail or hair on their heads, whacking one another with pillows. Feathers were floating mid air and the floor was covered in their belongings. The walls were plastered with Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy and a bunch of other bands, that I was too tired to distinguish. Magazines, CDs, random cords and socks covered the surface area of the floor and resentful music was blaring loudly from a boom box perched precariously on the window sill. Vincent used a toe to clear a small path then slipped into the room. The two boys had stopped smothering one another with their make shift weapons and eyed us suspiciously.

They were shorter than me, but built similarly; they were long and lanky with oblong bodies. Their hair was so painfully black; I swore it was not natural. I wrinkled my nose. I smelled something foul. I looked for the source around the floor. I knew it. I caught sight of package of black hair dye, poking out from beneath the boys' bunk bed.

"Dude, whaddja want?" one quipped, spreading his arms out wide in an exasperated manner.

"You can't just barge in here. Ever hear of knocking?" the other said, his stance more challenging which was stupid, because Vincent could easily hurl either of the twins out their glass window, using only his index finger.

Vincent looked un-amused and unbothered by the pairs' complaints. He beckoned for me and one cue, I stepped into the room. The two immediately wrinkled their noses and covered their noses. Damn freaking kids. They had to be eighth graders or freshmen. Vincent leaned his long body against the door frame. I stood before the pair, allowing them to scrutinize me while clutching their noses. I growled low and menacing. The twins were not frightened. They needed a good dosage of fear, something to make them tremble; I was in no mood for shit tonight.

"What's that _smell_?" one twin said, a nasally whine to his voice, because his nose plugged up from pinching it.

"Did he step in crap or something," the other added.

I growled again, louder, "Very funny."

Vincent ignored us all. He let loose a growl of his own, which was chilling. It was low and dangerous, a few octaves lower than mine, but it made up all the difference. It was effective too, we had all shut up. The twins stood where they were, not complaining about my creek water perfume; they just stood there clutching their pillows beneath an elbow and let their heads droop a little in submission.

Vincent was boss.

"This is Jacob, he's going to stay for a night," he explained dryly.

The two began to protest, but he silenced them by cutting them off, "If you want to complain, be my guest. You can take it up with Fairly, but I wouldn't suggest it. Jacob is only staying until he decides; it's Fairly's call. He can have the spare bed."

One twin didn't quit it, but the other knew better. They were now as solemn and grave as Frankenstein-Vincent. I noticed the boy's hand had curled into a fist and it shook uncontrollably. Vincent noticed too, but he said nothing.

"That's Mo's bed," he wavered.

Vincent had an answer for everything.

"Mo won't mind."

And then he left me with Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, but I had already come up with better names for the twins. I was getting rather good at the name game, despite my handicap. I was getting more and more exhausted by the minute. But, getting even didn't require as much energy as one would think. The door shut and I knew we were safe. The twins and I exchanged looks, but I beat the "punch", if you will.

"So, what are your names? Let me guess, Curly and Larry?" I asked sarcastically.

There was obviously something wrong here; some deep, emotional attachment to this person identified as "Mo." But I was too tired to be considerate and sensitive. Lack of sleep made a man ornery. I didn't have to have my eyes all the way open to see that the twins, especially the angry one, were well…angrier.

"Shut up!" he raised his voice.

The other one stepped forwards, placing a caring hand on his brother's shoulder to console him. He glared at me offhandedly.

"_Our_ names are Marlin and Marcus. What's it to you?" the second twin defended with a glare that barely made me quake.

"You don't even remember my name," I laughed slightly as I stepped over their miscellaneous junk. "That's really sad. Your brain capacities must be awfully small. Jacob Black."

"What?" they looked at me with narrow eyes.

"That's my name."

I collapsed on Mo's bed, much to the horror of the first twin.

"My name is Jacob Black, Larry. Goodnight."

Larry charged over his junk and several crunches later, stood over me. His face was slightly red. He must've been really mad, but it did little to bother me. I was really heartless wasn't I? I didn't like being me, but I was even happier being less like me. Being horrid, made me feel less and less like Jacob Black.

Brilliant!

"You can't sleep there. That's Mo's bed," the kid protested, growl intermixed to his furious tones.

"Vincent didn't seem to care, Larry. So why should I?" I closed my eyes, my arms folded behind my head.

I was enjoying this game. I melted into the bed, savoring every sensation of the soft sheets against my bare skin. I felt every muscle in my body purr and groan with sleepy pleasure, as I sank deeper and deeper into relaxation. However, the two stooges were not going to allow me any peace until I got down on my knees and paid homage to their dear, Mo.

Well, fat chance.

"What the hell is your problem? Get out!" he bellowed.

I pried one eye open, wryly and noticed his face was redder. He had that pasty, pale sort of skin that I imagined burned quite easily unlike my tanned complexion that just seemed to get more brown with sun exposure. His twin looked insulted, but not half as angry. He remained quiet and collected, but disturbed. Larry on the other hand was furious.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" he began to pound the side of the bed with his small fists.

My body bounced a little due to the tremors, but I just carried on with my act and ignored him. Well, I almost completely ignored him, until the brat tried to hit me. He rose up over me like a shadowy wraith; his fists melded together and tried to bring down his swing right into my gut. But, I was faster. Way faster. I don't know why he was mad, but I didn't want to focus on that, because I was mad. It was a mutual, unofficial understanding or at least, I'd make it so.

I reached up and grabbed the kid by the arms, still lying on my back and in a blur, I swung him my side, rolling, so I ended up pinning him to the bed. I was kneeling over him, holding his arms by his sides in a vice grip. My growl filled the room. Both twins were astounded and I bared my teeth, still human, but pulled back my lips and showed them my pearly whites that protruded from my small, human mouth. I phased a little and it hurt like hell—like ten bee stings just to show my canines—but it was worth it.

After that, Curly and Larry—or Marley and Marcos—whatever they were called, were quiet. Mostly quiet. They slammed their pillows onto their beds and hunkered down for the night, in their towering bunk bed. They whispered in some weird made up language, some gibberish, which they knew perfectly well I could not understand. They were probably talking about what a fucking, insensitive jerk I was, but I didn't care. I had a bed and I was tired. I was happy.

Sort of.

As happy as a guy who had his heart in the wrong place, had it ripped out and stabbed, could be.

* * *

Forks, Washington 

Everything was desolate and miserable.

The storm was merciless.

The wind rattled the houses, sailing down from the mountains and threatened to sear flesh from bone, nails from wood and destroy everything in its path. The wind's fierce ally was the rain. It poured and gushed from gray mass above the earth; Nature's tears threatening to drown the sea of green, and all its inhabitants, below. The sound was almost deafening. No thunder or lightening lashed across the dull sky, but the furious winds caressed the tall trees and foliage like an abusive lover; tossing the branches and boughs carelessly and its volatile sway. Droplets rolled down the length of window panes, of car windshields and the face of a very terrified girl.

She stood, completely drenched, her pale arms folded over her chest and shivered. She shivered from the wind that passed over her chilled body, making her quiver and quake. Her drenched clothes were plastered to her body. Her lips trembled, water pouring down her face and mimicking tears. Behind her, loomed a paler handsome figure with vibrant bronze hair and luminescent eyes. He stood over her in a protective manner, his face contorted with anxiousness and concern.

"Bella, love," he said quietly, his was voice smooth and soothing like a salve. "We don't have much time."

Bella shivered.

The bronze haired youth stepped forwards, but hesitated. He was colder than the wind and rain combined, he could do nothing to warm her. She listened, her eyes still focused on the path before her, as he swore beneath his breath. She listened to the soles of his shoes make a squishing noise on the driveway, random weeds crushed beneath his feet. A gust of violent wind made howled in Bella's ears and pushed her small, fragile body towards the home that lay at the end of the path. Arms encircled her, bringing her soaked body close to a firm, muscular chest. The contact made did not ease her qualms.

"Bella?" he tried again, a little more impatient.

"I'm sorry. I just need a minute. Just a minute," Bella pleaded, her eyes not leaving the house. "I'm scared, Edward."

Edward rested his chin on her shoulder, arms still encircling her body, keeping her close. She felt him sigh.

"As am I, but we aren't getting permission or denial from standing here," he pointed out in a practical manner. "We're running out of time and I'd prefer you not to freeze. Or drown. I can only do so much…"

The last of his words were bitter and angry. She knew what he was thinking and decided to ease his pain, and worry. With a deep, quivering sigh, she turned in his embrace to face him. She could make out his eyes despite his wild hair plastered against his skin. His eyes were her favorite color—well at least for today—a beautiful, dangerous topaz. They gazed back at her with a sense of urgency and comfort.

"OK, let's go," she said, her tone of voice not as firm as it could have been.

She reached for his hand and found it. She shivered again. It was icy.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Alright, let's go."

The walk to the house was agonizingly short and Bella wished darkly they could turn back. Her future was at her side, but as much as she had faith in Edward, she could not help, but feel terrified of what lay beyond the front door. This was her house, her own house, but her father lay behind its keep. Her father didn't know about anything concerning the truth about the Cullens or Billy or…A tightness in her throat developed, or Jacob. He didn't know about the vampires or the werewolves. They all—the Cullens and the Quileute—had hid their secrets from Charlie so he remained all, but an innocent bystander.

But, the most important thing that Charlie didn't know was Bella and Edward's decision to engage in holy matrimony. Ah yes, that was a severe problem indeed.

Bella stopped at the front door. Edward glanced at her. She inhaled deeply and then dove into her soaked pocket to find the key. Her cold fingers grasped the metal and she reluctantly pulled it from the depths of the fabric. She fit the key into the lock and turned the knob.

Her mind was racing as fast as her heart, beating irregularly and far too fast. Thoughts became blurs and her vision faltered, as she pretended her soul had slipped from her body and was manifesting the air. She prayed for this to be true, but felt herself trapped in a very firm, fleshy prison. No luck trying to escape, physically or spiritually. They were trapped. A flood of warm air hit the couple as the door swung open with a force of a vacuum. Bella felt as if she'd sunk into a relaxing, hot bath, but it did little to ease her frazzled, worried nerves.

"Dad?" she felt herself call out in a voice she barely recognized as her own.

Her voice wavered and warbled, cracking as she slurred out one syllable, but it sounded afraid, so she knew it was her own. Edward was at her side like a protective mountain, unmoving and his expression unchanged.

"Bella?" Charlie's voice called out from somewhere in the house. "Is that you? For Pete's sake, close the door! It's freezing out there!"

Her body went rigid, but Edward pushed her gently inside and closed the door behind them. They stood dripping wet, standing in silence. She could feel Edward's gaze upon her and felt a boring in her mind. He desperately wanted to know what she was thinking, but some unexplainable mental block kept him from knowing. She was glad he was unable to, for there was some things at some times, that she would prefer him not to know. And at other times, Bella wished he did. But, Bella mostly wondered why he could not read her mind, but that was a lost cause as were the rest of the curious aspects of about her; a boring, plain Jane and with a talent for attracting danger. The life she lived was very different from other eighteen year old graduates in Forks, or the world for that matter.

She felt herself fiddling absentmindedly with the ring on her left middle finger. 'It's going to stay there forever,' she chanted mentally. Disbelief crept into her mind, but Charlie's presence ended any further thoughts. Her mind was a void, as he entered the room with a puzzled look upon his face. In his hand was a damp envelope which made Bella's eyes widen. It was a wedding invitation. _Her_ wedding invitation.

"Bella, I just got this in the mail," Charlie began, his brow furrowed deeply. "I haven't opened it yet…I don't understand—whose wedding is this?"

Well, this made things easier. Bella swallowed with difficulty and felt relief wash over her body as Edward grasped her hand firmly. His icy, pale fingers clasped around her own with uncertainty.

"Mine," she heard herself say and grimaced.

With some irony, on the cue the thunder rolled.


End file.
